Up in the Air

Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland made several movie together in the 1930's and 40's where they were pretty much on equal footing with each other despite everything that was going on around them. They were the stereotypical buddies of the buddy film. Normally that wouldn't mean much except that Darro was white and Moreland was black and in every other film of their time no one could be as they were unless they both were white.

Race has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of Up in the Air, which concerns a series of murders at a radio station. I mention the fact notion of race simply because the script for this movie was used two or three more times with out nary a change for white co-stars.

The fact that the script was re-used is also an very good indication that the film is a very good one. No its not flawless, there are little bumps here and there and a couple of jumps in logic, but as excuse for murder and silliness in the typical Hollywood style one need not look much farther than this film.

On location in Hollywood, "Amalgamated Broadcasting Company" (ABC Radio) page Frankie Darro (as Frankie Ryan) is attracted to the station's attractive new receptionist, aspiring songstress Marjorie Reynolds (as Anne Mason). Ms. Reynolds sings "By the Looks of Things" very sweetly. With help from cowardly janitor pal Mantan Moreland (as Jeff Jefferson), Mr. Darro decides to help Reynolds become a radio singing star. Then, the station's snotty songstress Lorna Gray (as Rita Wilson) is murdered...

First suspected is cowboy singer Gordon Jones (as Tex Barton), who was then notable as the star of "The Green Hornet" serial. Just when you think you've heard them all, "Tex" calls Mr. Moreland "banjo eyes" (an apt description). Also, watch for Darro to appear in "black-face" for a routine with Moreland (which must have looked swell on the radio). The bit is handled inoffensively, by the way. Howard Bretherton and the troupe manage the vehicle fairly, with Darro and Moreland contributing their usual.

**** Up in the Air (9/9/40) Howard Bretherton ~ Frankie Darro, Mantan Moreland, Marjorie Reynolds, Gordon Jones

Frankie Darro as a studio page boy and Mantan Moreland as a janitor team up to solve a murder in Up In The Air. Singer Lorna Gray is shot to death during a rehearsal when the lights go out and a gun goes off. It's up to Frankie and Mantan to solve the crime especially since the cops are a pair of thickheaded detectives.

I have to say the film does have some funny moments. It also has some offensive ones. Both Darro and Moreland are aspiring radio artists and they've worked up a comedy sketch not unlike the act Moreland did in nightclubs with Ben Carter. But putting Darro in blackface was downright disrespectful. Later on in one of the Charlie Chan films Moreland does do that act with Carter and you should catch it if possible.

As it turns out Gray has quite a past and it's her past that's the key to solving her murder and that of Gordon Jones who wants to be a cowboy singer and get on the air.

For a Monogram Picture, not bad, but we sure didn't need the blackface.

B-movie star Frankie Darro and everyone's favorite bug-eyed comic relief Mantan Moreland made several murder mystery comedies together around 1940 (with some other more-or-less recurring cast members, including Tristram Coffin) for Monogram Pictures. In this one, the guys work at a radio station (Frankie as a bell-boy as usual) when they get mixed up in the murder of the station's popular, but problematic singing star, Rita Wilson (played by Lorna Gray) who is shot during a rehearsal. As usual, the police detective who handles the case is quite arrogant and incompetent, but he ends up working together quite fine with Frankie. And Mantan. Who, while doing his regular scared-of-everything act, is definitely much more than a mandatory comic relief here: he gets top billing, proves again that he is an excellent comedian and also takes part in the detective work quite effectively and in general, his role is more similar to what we usually see from Lou Abbott. So even the people who are extra-sensitive about the racial stereotypes of classic Hollywood are safe with this one. And talking about Abbott and Costello: they actually did their own version of the "murder mystery at the radio station" theme two years later in Who Done It? (1942), while Monogram remade the story in 1945 as There Goes Kelly.

Up In The Air has a little bit of everything: mystery, action, comedy, musical and the mixture works pretty well, but as the hour-long entry has several musical numbers, comedy acts and even a dance performance by Mantan, you can imagine how thin the plot is. But it is actually nothing more than a tool to keep the story going and to hold the movie together and at that, it does a pretty fine job and makes this a rather enjoyable little time-passer, complete with car chase, Frankie and Mantan's black face comedy act and a mysterious singing cowboy.

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Richard Cross's review published on Letterboxd:

"Is I where I think I is or am I where I hope I ain't?" asks Manton Moreland of the bulging eyes and comical double-takes. He plays wing man to an ok Frankie Darro in this dull murder thriller, and, like us, he's sadly where he hoped he ain't.